Words from the web
Seeking to win back public trust, the Obama administration has been throwing around a lot of numbers as it tries to describe — in as much detail as possible without jeopardizing national security — the terror plots it says were thwarted by the government’s sweeping surveillance of U.S. communications. Do you think the programs are vital to detecting and stopping plots by terrorists? How willing are you to sacrifice your privacy in order to make the country safer? Would you feel differently if a Republican president was trying to make the same claim?
“I think this has a lot less to do with stopping terrorist activity and a lot more to do with silencing whistleblowers. The government is powerless in a digital world when people like Bradley Manning and John Kiriakou expose them for the things that they are doing overseas. I guess I fear a government that would rather cover up the murder of innocent children overseas and prosecute those who expose it should they become as powerful here as they are there. The Internet is their worst enemy because they are unable to silence the masses.”
“Keep this in mind, too. According to Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson, some of the wording used to describe why they want to track us on the Internet is ‘in case they want to build a case against somebody.’ What does that mean, exactly? If I looked for low-priced ammo online, does that flag me as a potential terrorist? If I listen to a song that mentions murder, does that mean I actually want to murder somebody? Right now they just are not clear enough regarding what they are going to do. Stopping 9/11 is one thing. Making an average man look like a disciple of bin Laden is another.”
“I have mixed feelings on this. I have nothing to hide, but when our government targets Americans because of their political affiliation but yet won’t call a blatant terrorist a terrorist, I have issues.”
“Your government wants you to live and prosper (so they can tax you). Other terrorists don’t care if you live or not.”
“Really helped in Boston and Fort Hood. The attackers were all over the Internet, and they couldn’t stop them. Government can tell us they’ve stopped all kinds of plots. How do we know? Because they say? I have no trust in government anymore. I, for one, am not willing to give up one ounce of my freedoms for anyone!”
“Also, don’t forget this country was built on the foundation of freedom from government. We should not allow our government to become too powerful, because, unlike our English ancestors, we will have nowhere to run.”